Do you pug or use a static for raids?

Quality of pug groups deteriorates over time. If you pug it early, generally the later tiers of content will be populated solely by pick-up members who know their jobs and the fight well. As time goes on, more and more players are able to overcome early tiers by force of gear ilvl, or manage to tag along with better players. They start to pollute the pug pool, and it becomes less and less likely that you'll be able to put together a pug group that can defeat the final tiers of content.

At least, that's been my experience. I'm still amused by the whole "SKIP SOAR" debacle with Zurvan. By the end of the patch, you'd have to be mighty lucky to find a pug group that could skip soar! Skipping soar was the venue of the quality players who won first and farmed the crap out of the fight before leaving it forever. No, by patch's end, you didn't hope for a group that could skip soar - you hoped for a group that could HANDLE soar.

A static is always preferable, in my opinion, but creating and maintaining one can be a nightmare. It's HARD to coordinate meeting times for eight skilled people, especially when those people have real-life schedules that change from time to time, unexpected events that pop up at inconvenient times, and so on and so forth.

My opinion of PUGs is that you're almost sure to have to carry someone completely cause they either lie about their progression, or some just straight up expects to be carried through some Savage content. When my Static fell apart three weeks into this past tier and on Guardian enrage, it took me an additional three months to finally break through enrage all because of PUGs. Never again for Savage content. Static or nothing.

PUG, or more often, skip entirely. Endgame savage raids give the same ilvl you get a month or two later with tome gear.

I personally prefer to run savage content with a static. I had to quit my last static unfortunately thought because of real life time conflicts. I have the mentality of a hardcore raider with the availability and free time of a casual player...its tough. I need to find a static that can handle only running two nights a week for two hours max. I probably won't be able to do any more savage content (outside of pugs) for awhile.

The problem with pugs is that while there is generally considered a "main strategy" every player likes to do things slightly differently. Those subtle variations can cause all sorts of headaches and problems.

Both. If I pug, I pug eeeeeeeverything. Including UwU if I could but rip, nobody wants to do it. I also run stuff with a static. My main issue with statics is the schedule. For now my schedule is fine but sadly, it changes every few months so eventually it'll clash with static times. But clearing content does feel easier with a static because everyone is on the same page.

As long as the boss hp goes to 0 while everyone's hp stays above 0, I don't really care if I raid with static or pugs.

PF becomes impossible to clear with near the end of every patch, and I'm not always around at the start. Static is the only way to go.

Static forever. The gear isnt worth the stress and RNG of pugs. Play with friends. Its much more enjoyable to slog through this stuff with people you have some shared experience and repore with. Been playing with most of these scrubs in my group since FFXI. I'm way to invested to leave now lol.

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Originally Posted by LineageRazor

At least, that's been my experience. I'm still amused by the whole "SKIP SOAR" debacle with Zurvan. By the end of the patch, you'd have to be mighty lucky to find a pug group that could skip soar! Skipping soar was the venue of the quality players who won first and farmed the crap out of the fight before leaving it forever. No, by patch's end, you didn't hope for a group that could skip soar - you hoped for a group that could HANDLE soar.

A static is always preferable, in my opinion, but creating and maintaining one can be a nightmare. It's HARD to coordinate meeting times for eight skilled people, especially when those people have real-life schedules that change from time to time, unexpected events that pop up at inconvenient times, and so on and so forth.

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On my Zurvan farm parties, Soar ain't the problem most of the time, though I don't envy the one who's assigned the NW position in the event we do have to deal with Soar and Zurvan uses the pattern where the N and S are not safe zones. Most of the time, it's Southern Cross and Broken Seal that ruins farm parties, had to kick quite a few people who flubs those mechanics in order to get the bird during March - May 2017.

I agree with you the benefits and drawbacks of a static.

A static is the best way to clear content in my opinion. It's a good way to learn play styles and to get an expectation of how people play in order to overcome the raid. That's not to say that pugs aren't good because they can be, but pugging is an adjustment for every member of the group that has to be replaced and adjusting to that change is a challenge. That is why I believe that some PF groups don't survive the initial few runs.

Pugging all the way. Statics are a mixed bag. Sometimes people are late, or just plain suck. I would rather deal with pugs on my own time, with the freedom to prog as much as I want, and clear when I see fit.